"Scared"

I was scared and the young horse stared

And it was time to ride,

Cowboys knew just what to do,

There was nowhere to hide.

Yes, you can, just go the plan,

They stood right there with me,

I stepped on and got along,

Not so bad you see.

Rope him, Brad, that bull was bad,

I thought it’s time to miss,

My biggest fear if he got near,

His horns my butt would kiss.

But flatten out and do not doubt,

Your horse will do his part,

Got him caught and I was taught,

To drive fear from my heart.

Eighteen wheels and real big deals,

The job too scared to drive,

But I was there and to be fair,

For it I had applied.

They said yes I passed the test,

And now on down the road,

Get over fear, wow it’s still near,

But deliver that big load.

God stepped in, I followed Him,

And then I heard His call,

It can’t be me, for don’t you see,

I’ve sinned too much and all.

I cannot speak, I’m shy and weak,

There must be some mistake,

Scared I’d fail, but could not bail,

He said to walk by faith.

That’s what I’ve done, this race to run,

Steep sometimes the climb,

But I have known, His love my own,

His Spirit is the sign.

Years gone by, by grace I’ll try,

To finish well this race,

My old fear, gone from love’s sphere,

I’ll soon see Jesus’ face.

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear…” (1 John 4:18, NLT)

I doubt the honesty of those who say they are never afraid. What scares us? All sorts of things, and I’m counting worry and anxiety as a form of fear, too. Fear of getting sick, dying, having no money, being lonely, being unsuccessful, having trouble with spouse, children or grandchildren, bad weather, etc., etc. The list of possibilities is endless. So, what do we do about it? Some think it’s just a matter of faith. You often hear people say things like feed your faith, not your fears. I understand that. One could define fear as faith in the wrong direction, expecting something terrible instead of something good. And faith is very important. But the Bible does not champion faith as the remedy for fear. What then? It’s love. The love of God drives out fear, and John says we have learned to put our trust in His love. So faith is involved all right, but the real answer is not in trying to believe harder but in realizing and experiencing God’s love. When love fills us, our fears are washed overboard.

Lord, let Your love expel all our fear, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Steve Devenyns, stevedevenyns.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Steve, and God bless you.